To fight is in the inherent nature of each and every living being. It is this spirit of fighting which has led to our evolution from Apes to human beings as we are today. It is the spirit of fighting which powers a soldier to die for his country; which helps a person in not losing hope, to get up stronger after each fall; which ignites sportspersons to continue playing despite getting injured; the list can go on and on but most people would agree on the gist that, success surely succeeds a good fight.This feeling has been relived again and through fight centered Sports like Boxing, Karate, Fencing, and Wrestling etc. We at Sports Social definitely love good fights. Who can forget all that time spent watching WWE?
One of the most ancient arts of fighting is Martial Arts. Though nowadays it is usually associated with the fighting arts of Eastern Asia, its origins can be traced back to combat systems of Europe from the early 1550s.
In India, Kalaripayattu is one of the most famous and oldest forms of martial arts which originated from the state of Kerala around 2000 years ago. Its main focus is on self-defense and draws inspiration from the strength and inherent fighting skills of animals like the lion and tiger.
Kalaripayattu was an integral part of the Kerala society between 11th and 16th centuries. All children above the age of 7 would go for Kalaripayattu training. ‘Kalari’ means school and ‘Payattu’ means training.
Children were trained to be nimble and were taught to dance, take leaps, turn and twist on the ground. This was done till their body become supple. They were then taught to play with weapons made from wood. In the next stage, they were taught to use metal weapons like swords. In the final stage, they were taught to defend themselves with their hands. It takes seven years to master this art.
In the olden days, the rulers of Kerala patronized Kalaripayattu and gave it the same priority as was given to reading and writing. The Kalari space is a handmade pit, about five feet deep with a pounded earth floor that is covered with a tarpaulin or straw.
To the south-west corner of the pit, there is a seven-tiered platform known as the Poothara that houses the guardian deity of the Kalari. The seven tiers symbolize the seven abilities that each person must possess – Vignes (strength), Channiga (patience), Vishnu (power to command), Vadugashcha (the posture), Tadaguru (training), Kali (the expression) and Vakasta – purushu (sound).
Kalaripayattu is believed by many historians to be the mother of all martial arts. Thousands of years ago, Bodhidharma, a Buddhist monk, learned this art in India. When he went to China to propagate Buddhism, he introduced this art of fighting to the Chinese. He later incorporated certain changes in the Kalaripayattu way of fighting and gave birth to a new form of martial arts known as Shaolin Kung Fu.
